Traditionally, the success of a researcher is assessed by the number of publications he or she publishes in peer-reviewed, indexed, high impact journals. This essential yardstick, often referred to as the impact of a specific researcher, is assessed through the use of various metrics. While researchers may be acquainted with such matrices, many do not know how to use them to enhance their careers. In addition to these metrics, a number of other factors should be taken into consideration to objectively evaluate a scientist's profile as a researcher and academician. Moreover, each metric has its own limitations that need to be considered when selecting an appropriate metric for evaluation. This paper provides a broad overview of the wide array of metrics currently in use in academia and research. Popular metrics are discussed and defined, including traditional metrics and article-level metrics, some of which are applied to researchers for a greater understanding of a particular concept, including varicocele that is the thematic area of this Special Issue of Asian Journal of Andrology. We recommend the combined use of quantitative and qualitative evaluation using judiciously selected metrics for a more objective assessment of scholarly output and research impact.

Despite advances in the field of male reproductive health, idiopathic male infertility, in which a man has altered semen characteristics without an identifiable cause and there is no female factor infertility, remains a challenging condition to diagnose and manage. Increasing evidence suggests that oxidative stress (OS) plays an independent role in the etiology of male infertility, with 30% to 80% of infertile men having elevated seminal reactive oxygen species levels. OS can negatively affect fertility via a number of pathways, including interference with capacitation and possible damage to sperm membrane and DNA, which may impair the sperm's potential to fertilize an egg and develop into a healthy embryo. Adequate evaluation of male reproductive potential should therefore include an assessment of sperm OS. We propose the term Male Oxidative Stress Infertility, or MOSI, as a novel descriptor for infertile men with abnormal semen characteristics and OS, including many patients who were previously classified as having idiopathic male infertility. Oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) can be a useful clinical biomarker for the classification of MOSI, as it takes into account the levels of both oxidants and reductants (antioxidants). Current treatment protocols for OS, including the use of antioxidants, are not evidence-based and have the potential for complications and increased healthcare-related expenditures. Utilizing an easy, reproducible, and cost-effective test to measure ORP may provide a more targeted, reliable approach for administering antioxidant therapy while minimizing the risk of antioxidant overdose. With the increasing awareness and understanding of MOSI as a distinct male infertility diagnosis, future research endeavors can facilitate the development of evidence-based treatments that target its underlying cause.

Many couples present fertility problems at their reproductive age, and although in the last years, the efficiency of assisted reproduction techniques has increased, these are still far from being 100% effective. A key issue in this field is the proper assessment of germ cells, embryos and endometrium quality, in order to determine the actual likelihood to succeed. Currently available analysis is mainly based on morphological features of oocytes, sperm and embryos and although these strategies have improved the results, there is an urgent need of new diagnostic and therapeutic tools. The emergence of the - OMICS technologies (epigenomics, genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics) permitted the improvement on the knowledge in this field, by providing with a huge amount of information regarding the biological processes involved in reproductive success, thereby getting a broader view of complex biological systems with a relatively low cost and effort.

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Study question Is there a relationship between the concentration of the βhCG hormone in maternal blood, embryo morphokinetics and clinical outcome? Summary answer βhCG concentration is related to trophoectoderm quality, abortion rate and live birth rate, but not to embryo morphokinetics What is known already Measurement of βhCG has been widely used for early pregnancy detection after assisted reproduction treatments. Shortly after embryo implantation, trophoblastic βhCG is detectable in maternal blood, However, βhCG concentration in several women showed high variability, and embryo implantation also depends on endometrial receptivity, what means that in early stages, everything affecting endometrial receptivity, may affect βhCG concentration. Early high βhCG concentration has been related with higher pregnancy rate, but there are scarce information concerning relationship between βhCG early value and ongoing pregnancy rates Study design, size, duration Retrospective biomedical research of 508 patients having single embryo transfer of fresh embryos at IVIRMA VIGO clinic between 2017 and 2021 to analyse the relation between βhCG concentration, and embryo quality, embryo morphokinetics and ongoing pregnancy rate. Patients with recurrent miscarriage, advanced maternal age, uterine pathologies and severe male factor were excluded of the study. βhCG was measured in the peripherical maternal blood 13 days after embryo transfer Participants/materials, setting, methods All the embryos were generated by ICSI and were cultured in a time-lapse incubator under a 37ºC, 6% CO2 and 5% O2 atmosphere. T-Student and Youden test between embryo kinetics and βhCG values, Pearson correlation test to compare gestational successes with kinetic embryo data, and a linear regression model with βhCG like response variable and morphokinetic data like explanation variables were employed Main results and the role of chance βhCG concentration was greater in trophoectoderm A embryos compared to B and C (ASEBIR classification), 619.53 UI/ml, IC95% (483.16-755.90), 442.24 UI/ml, IC95% (350.18-534.31), 269.95 UI/ml, IC95%(88.88-451.01) (p = 0.038) respectively and there was a trend with Inner cell mass quality, being greater also in quality A vs B and C (p = 0.053) Patients who had a clinic abortion showed lower βhCG concentration compared to those with ongoing pregnancy and live birth, 385.37 UI/ml, IC95% (268.45-502.28) vs 987.53 IU/ml, IC95% (845.03-1130.03). T-student test linear regression analysis and Youden index, with βhCG cut-off points of 10 IU/ml and 100 IU/ml were employed, to analyze relationship between βhCG concentration and embryo morphokinetics, but it was not significant in any of the parameters analyzed Limitations, reasons for caution There is a limited sample size and data were obtained from a retrospective study. Patients and donor oocytes were analyzed in this study, although no differences were found when they compared Wider implications of the findings This study shows that a top quality trophoectoderm produces more βhCG, and that could be a predictive value for ongoing pregnancy Trial registration number 1712-VGO-122-EM